Customer-oriented HRM, Employee Attitude about Customers, and Employees’ Customer Orientation: A Mediation Analysis

Abstract

Employees’ customer orientation is critical for increasing customer satisfaction which is a strategic goal of any business organization that needs survival and growth. There are no theoretical argument and empirical evidence with regard
to the mediating effect of employee attitude about customers on the relationship between customer-oriented Human Resource Management (HRM) and employees’ customer orientation. An empirical study was carried out to examine the relationships among customer-oriented HRM, employees’ customer orientation and employee attitude about customers by adopting a
survey to 60 managers from hotels operating in the Trincomalee district of Sri Lanka. The findings revealed significant and positive relationships among the three variables under the study and that employee attitude about customers is a partial mediator in the linkage between customer-oriented HRM and employees’ customer orientation.

Key Words: Customer-oriented HRM, Employee Attitude about Customers, Employees’ Customer Orientation, Sri Lanka